shorty
25 posts
Joined: 16/12/2004 21:41:18
Location: United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
my van restoration
hello ive recentley brought a mini van and it is quite rough and needs alot of panels and i just need some advice firstly is a van front panel avalible secondly should i buy genuine or pattern pannels and if you have any more advice on a mini van restoration then all advive is appreciated. FANKOO
Posted: Feb 20, 2005 09:04 PM
i agree
i was definatletly goin 2 keep the van grill but i removed the numberplate that was attached 2 the grill and there was just a hole behind it so does that mean i gotta buy a van front panel or how do they do those detachable van grils?????
Posted: Feb 21, 2005 10:22 PM
Jason Evans
4 posts
Joined: 26/02/2006 07:16:30
Location: welshpool United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
soundproof
i find that using the foam out of old seats to pack the inside of 1/4 panels makes road noise a lot less noticable,we used to do this on ply lined vans and the improvement when driving them was immense for such a cheap fix
Posted: Feb 26, 2006 08:04 AM
BALDYMAG
77 posts
Joined: 24/10/2004 10:49:55
Location: Uckfield United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
shortie....saloon front panel
yes u can get a saloon front panel. For quality I would get a genuine or mini machine part. Remember there are a couple of differant types, state the year of the van when ordering. If you want a van grille section call mini machine . I should think you will speak to doreen , she very helpful. dave
Posted: Mar 02, 2005 12:04 AM
Mini van convo
Hello Im only 16 i cant wait 2 drive ive just gotta 1979 van and ive copletley stripped it 4 alot alota weldin and the engine gotta be rebuilt and the brakes the list gos on but it will be worth it i just need loadsa advice with it such as wether or not i shud use genuine panels or pattern 1s and wot coluer and wot look 2 go 4 and loadsa stuff so evry 1 with a van just say about your van an sum advice.
Posted: Feb 21, 2005 08:33 PM
Adam Taft
1 posts
Joined: 14/12/2008 19:06:36
Location: Birmingham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Need Advice With Removing A Dent From My Panel
I Just Accidently Reserved my Mini Into a van at work (And Ive Only Been Driving A Week) lol. and ive dented the panel just under the light assembly on the passanger side. ive also broke the light assembly and wheel arch but ive ordered the parts for them and can replace myself. but im affraid the dent that i have caused is just under the light assembly. i need some advice on bending it back out. im just worried about doing more damage to my car. is beating a panel ut easy or shuld i get some else to do it and is there any serus effects it could have on the car.
Posted: Dec 15, 2008 05:52 PM
van colour
Shorty, how about some really retro Mark 1 colours like surf blue, colour code BU35 with a old english white roof , code WT3 or fiesta yellow, code YL11 with a old english roof. Buy a quality saloon style front panel from Heritage or Mini machine. Mini machine sell the original style pressed steel grille section of a mini van/pick up front panel seperate to the panel itself. Then with 2 studs welded to the back of the grille panel and 2 corresponding holes in the front panel itself locate the studs through the holes in the front panel and retain it by tightening a pair of wing nuts on the studs, hey presto , a mini commercial with a genuine looking front end that has a removable front grille for easy maintenace with hidden fixings. Dave
Posted: Feb 21, 2005 10:28 PM
G minivan man
12 posts
Joined: 05/04/2006 15:08:54
Location: Coventry United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
My 1970 mini van
Hello,
I have a 1970 "project" mini van that i am in the middle of rebuilding the front end nd i have been asked to move my van from my friends garage. As i dont have a drive or garage of my own i might be forced to sell. My question is would anyone be willing to come and pick it up from the coventry area? I bought this van for 500 pounds and have spent an extra 400 on panels and labour. It will come with 4 boxes full of new and old mini parts from a mayfair i broke down to use for parts.
I would accept offers from 500 pounds if you are a genuine buyer for my lovely van.
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 12:59 PM
Barry Brown
511 posts
Joined: 23/06/2008 12:08:31
Location: New Barn United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
mini van to mini pickup??
I see no obvious reasons why this can't be done other than not wanting to lose a van bodyshell. Providing you have a strengthener at the top of the rear wings between the wheelarch area and the back of the cab then it shouldn't fold up on you. In the van the loading for the rear of the body is transmitted up the C-post and along the gutter line to the top of the B-post. This is what you need to reinstate when you cut the roof off. Run a couple of bits of 1" square tube from the front and rear of each wheelarch up to the point where you have cut the wing. Then run a similar 1" tube to the B-post. The wing can then be welded to this and it should all be as strong as the factory version. (seam weld all along)
Check with your insurers first though as they may want an engineers report when it is done before they will issue cover, at a premium, to reflect a customised vehicle. It will also prove that you haven't made any dangerous changes that contravene the construction of vehicles section of the road traffic act otherwise the elderly william may get upset if your modifications end up spearing a passenger with a bit of insecure tubing in the event of a rear end shunt.
You will need a different lower rear panel and hinges as the pickup is hinged at the bottom and not at the sides as per the van. All other mechanical bits are interchangeable.
Posted: Jan 16, 2012 03:58 PM
Carpet colour
Hi - try this as a source. http://drcwww.uvt.nl/~bogaard/kleu-tab.htm
General rule of thumb though is if it wasn't a "Super De Luxe" model then it will have black "Hardura" carpets for the saloon or rubber for the van & pickup. I have not been able to find anyone who manufactures the Hardura carpet sets let alone with the heelboard and seat runners heat bonded to the surface.
I had to make my own set using the originals and 6mm Hardura purchased from Woolies Trim (www.woolies-trim.co.uk) part number was 241A-BLK and I used 3 metres at 54" wide which gave me enough to make a boot liner. I used Narrow Rib rubber sheet, part 86-1 to make the heel panel and seat runners, which I bonder to the vinyl with Loctite superglue. It seems to be holding so far. It is as close as I can get to original. Being a hemp based material the Hardura does smell a bit like an unwashed dog but that adds to the 'old car ambience. If purism isn't absolute then I'd go with a set of normal carpets.
If you do go down the hardura route it is a long job and took me a weekend to cut the panels to shape using the remains of the originals as a template. You will need lots of replacement blades in your craft knife and ALWAYS cut from the vinyl side using a metal guide plate on the straight cuts. Do these first until you get the hang of it before moving onto curved cuts.
Posted: Jan 24, 2011 01:15 PM
pickme
672 posts
Joined: 08/09/2004 23:10:14
Location: Chippenham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Radio
Where you start depends on a few of things - 1. What you intend to fit 2. Where you intend it to go 3. What where its going is like Assuming its a standard headunit and a couple of speakers makes it a bit easier to explain. First wiring - get a power feed from an ignition fed supply at the fuse box. Take it from the left of the fuse box as you look in from the front (before it goes through the fuse) and fit an inline fuse with the same rating as that fitted in the head unit. Ground locally at an existing earthing point if you can find one or drill a small hole in a hidden place and use a self tapping screw. If a constant power feed is required for memory, do the same as the ignition feed but use a constant source. Speakers - you have a choice of rear, middle and/or front. Middle is probably the easiest by using an under-the rear-seat board. Rear will be easy if your model has the rear shelf with cut outs in, look in from the boot and see. If it has, cut matching holes in the rear shelf cover panel (or make a suitable replacement) and fit them here. If not, you can cut the body, but I wouldnt recommend it. Its very difficult to do well and if you want to go back your a bit stuffed. Front fitting speaker pods are generally available for doors or in foot well. Both have pros and cons usually involving them getting in the way but youll get good sound reproduction from here. I fitted some in the air vent holes of the wood dash on my last mini which worked well, but needed expensive speakers to sound good as they are quire small. If you have a wood dash, then you may have a mounting point for the radio already. If not, you can get a few different types of mounting pod to fit it under the dash rail from car radio outlets. Theyre not very pretty, but they hold the radio in place. I fitted one in the middle on my mini van, but that doesnt have a heater in the way. Maybe a centre console would work in your car.
Posted: Jan 29, 2006 06:40 PM
DHG500
Joined: 04/07/2014 22:41:33
Location: Elst Netherlands
Dutch 1978 Mini 1000 Van
I fancied a small challenge:
This Van has been standing for 22 years in this plastic greenhouse. Stripped of all its parts except the subframes and wheels (luckily brakeshoes were removed as well). A lot of the dismantled parts were recovered on it's previous owner's attick but after refurbishing an extensive list of parts had to be sourced from autojumbles and by Mini Spares off course!
The welding is almost complete now and I am about to start on lead loading to smoothen out all bodily imperfections.
This Van was deliberately altered by the Dutch BL-importer for the Dutch market. The side-panels were cut out and replaced by glas. As I understand, this modification was only available for a couple of years. It may not comply with the expected original Van looks but has the advantage of a way better all round visibility!
Posted: Nov 12, 2014 04:22 PM
Chris
3 posts
Joined: 21/09/2004 09:47:26
Location: Hatfield United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Mini for Sale
Right, Ive been putting it off for far too long, but its time to sell Max. Ill be putting him on Ebay next week but Ill post a For Sale notice here first in the hope a true enthutisast will buy him! [u]The Exterior:[/u] Hes an 89 Mini City in Flame Red and has a white Cooper roof and white bonnet stripes. He has a chrome grille and chrome front and rear bumpers along with a full chrome wiper kit. The grille has been converted to use with removable buttons and the bonnet is fully removeable with rally-style bonnet pins. He also sports a pair of White Cooper mirrors. [u]The Wheels: [/u] Max has a set of deep-dish 13x6-inch Superlights with chrome nuts and four good tyres (only 6 months old). These are worth at least £250 making this an absolute bargin! [u]The Interior:[/u] The interior is a standard grey and red Sprite interior in excellent condition with red carpets. It also has a full set of black Mini Spares mats. There is also a fully fitted Mini Spares Grey Burr dash (again a bargin as this is worth at least £100) with a CD Player/Tuner and 10cm Kenwood Speakers mounted in it. [u]The Engine:[/u] The engine is a City 998 with a full Stage One Kit fitted which gives very lively pace while still being insurance friendly. This also includes an LCB mainfold with centre exit pipe.The engine has been properly maintained and look after for the 4 years Ive owned it and has been extremely reliable, never giving me one single problem, something I find incrediable! [u]The Plate:[/u] The best bit is the Northern Ireland registered number plate. It is registered as [font color=red][b]GDZ 6667[/b][/font] which I think is an excellent plate for a Mini, (youll get the comments of Red Devil a lot, I promise). This plate is totally legal in the UK mainland and would look great on a concours car, its probably worth a lot more on its own than what I selling this car for but Id rather not seperate them. Now the bad bits, (there always are unfortunetly) there is quite a bit of surface rust in some of the panels. The d/s A-panel and both the rear panels will need some repair doing and theres is also some slight surface rust on one front wing. The bootlid is also damaged (stupid transit van) and will need replacing (the number plate is intact and still totally legal). Finally there is some rust in the base of the drivers door BUT I will include a replacement drivers door free in the sale to fix this. All the subframes are solid as are all the mount points and sills (which are only six months old). I have tried to be honest about these problems but I really dont think they will require much work from a seasoned Mini expert. I had intend to sort it all myself as hes a cracking little car but unfortunetly as a student I really cant afford to have a go despite how little it would cost. So there he is, Im selling him with 6 months road tax and and MOT through till the end of the summer so hes easy to pick up and drive away. Im located in hatfield in Hertfordshire and Im only looking for around £400-£500 ono for all of the above. Contact me on 07813009913 or at C.Wilson@herts.ac.uk. Please give Max a good home!
Posted: Jun 21, 2005 01:09 PM
David_Schwartz
Joined: 26/04/2014 02:42:21
Location: Framingham, MA United States
Problem Installing a Stainless Steel Petrol Tank in a '68 Mini Traveller
The original petrol tank in my '68 Mini Traveller is very rusty and has several pin-hole leaks. I ordered the non-genuine stainless steel petrol tank (21A291MS) that is supposed to fit all long wheel base Minis (vans, estates, pickup) that use an external tank. Unfortunately this tank does NOT fit my 1968 Mini Traveller. I tried to install it and the tank neck is about 1/2 inch too short and does not extend through the hole in the car body. The tank mounting holes are a 1/2 inch off from the holes in rear valance of the car.
The angle of the tank neck is wrong and it contacts the outside edge of the opening in the rear panel leaving no space for the rubber grommet. I compared the new tank to my original tank and took some measurements. The neck is indeed shorter than my original tank and the neck angle is wider. I believe this is why the mounting holes don't line up.
Has anyone successfully installed the stainless steel tank in a long wheel base Mini?
It is possible that the neck on my tank was welded at the wrong angle.
Thank you,
David Schwartz
Framingham, MA
USA
Posted: May 12, 2016 02:15 AM
Jon & Lisa
47 posts
Joined: 22/05/2005 16:06:55
Location: middlesbrough United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Grovers up for grabs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grover is up for grabs folks! 1990 Mini City, completely bare shell rebuilt in April of this year. Exterior: Bare shell rebuild (had doors, one A panel, an A post repair, and a doorstep welded in) Resprayed in Old English White Sportspack Arches Cooper wing mirrors sprayed body colour Chrome Bumpers, Grille, Wipers Wipac Halogen headlamps Cooper decals on rear quarters and bootlid Genunie Rover sportspack wheels with Bridgestone RE720 tyres Tinted glass Interior: Genuine Rover Sportspack black leather seats, and matching door cards. All new black carpets Black top and bottom dash rails Black seat belts Walnut 3 clock dash with 110mph cooper dials, magnolia Pioneer CD player, and Sony speakers in the dash Chrome gearstick and 8 Ball gearknob Astrali 13" steering wheel walnut parcel shelf Walnut centre console Engine: 1990 Metro 1275 Unleaded MG Metro Inlet Manifold Maniflow LCB Maniflow 1.75" Single Box, Side Exit exhaust K&N Cone filter Metro gearbox with 3.44FD quickshift Electronic Ignition Recent 20tho head skim re seated valves 1.5 roller rockers Play mini twin side exit exhaust SS Brakes/Running Gear: Inline master cylinder, with braided hoses to make access easier Front brakes rebuilt with Stainless pistons in calipers, braided flexi hoses Hubs with new bearings and balljoints Drilled and grooved discs EBC Green pads New Rear subframe Recon radius arms fitted All rear brakes are new, including backplates, drums, shoes, cylinders etc. Braided flexi hoses. Front subframe built with Hi-los, new tie bars, poly bushes on tie bars and bottom arms. New knuckle joints Asking price is POA I may px for mini van but has to be a good spec or a nice Audi or Golf Deisel Please no timewasters Now on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...item=4575385575
Posted: Sep 14, 2005 07:58 AM